The Beliefs, Rites, and Rituals of the Wiccan Religion
by Lady Sabrina
New Page Books
When I was thirteen, living through an eternal hormone-induced place of damnation, I found my mother’s copy of The Spiral Dance. She had it because she was a feminist; I read it because the idea of being a “witch” sounded cool. I became a witch because Starhawk showed me a place I remembered, a way of being that felt right.
Back then, there was very little available to the budding witch — even in cosmopolitan San Francisco. So I was neither as fortunate nor as cursed as you, dear reader. You’re fortunate because you can go into almost any major bookstore or shop around online and just pick up a book about witchcraft. But you are cursed as well because there is so much trash in the form of books about this religion we call Wicca.
Lady Sabrina’s Exploring Wicca is a gem. Well-written and (just as important) well-organized, it takes you through basic concepts and solid information to a place where you will feel comfortable creating and enacting rituals. Unlike many others, Lady Sabrina places her focus on the ritual aspects of Wicca, rather than the magical ones.
After introducing the reader to the foundations of the Wiccan beliefs, she describes the Gods and Goddesses in various aspects, and then gets into the myths and scriptures most common to this religion. The bulk of the book is devoted to understanding the different elements of doing rituals — from symbols and elements through to esbats and sabbats.
It is only in the last third of the book that Lady Sabrina talks about magic. I found this to be a refreshing change from most “Wicca 101” books that have you casting spells long before you understand your personal relationship to the Deity.
Lady Sabrina has not created yet another book of spell recipes, but a practical primer and introduction to Wicca. I say, “Well done.”
RATING: 4 Broomsticks
» Originally appeared in newWitch #01
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